Darryl is an author, musician, traveller and most importantly a Blue!
He’s also the author of “Pride in Travel” which is the story of the journey from his hometown of Toronto in Canada, to watch a City match at as many Supporter Clubs as possible. Travelling across the globe during the title winning season under Manuel Pelligrini, he even ended up in Reddish!
Firstly why did you choose to support City?
I grew up following the Toronto Maple Leafs, professional ice hockey’s most famous underachievers. Our biggest rivals are the Montreal Canadiens, winners of the most championships in history. Growing up in the Canadien’s shadow, you had to have thick skin and get creative with your banter. When my sister introduced me to City, it instantly felt right. City felt familiar too me. I loved the self-deprecating humour, the camaraderie and the feeling of family. Oh and did I mention Toronto wears blue and Montreal red? It was meant to be.
What was your first City game?
October 30th, 2006. City 1 – Middlesborough 0. Richard Dunne actually put one into the opponents net, City’s match winner.
What’s your favourite game to date?
Not sure it gets any better than QPR in 2012, but that’s a given. Apart from that match, I’ll say, the Bayern match in November 2014 at the Etihad was sublime.
Who is you City idol?
Paul Lake. Played for Manchester City and wrote a best-selling book. They don’t come any cooler than Lakey.
What was the last City book you read?
“Looks Like Scunny Next Season” by David Mooney, it’s excellent
What’s your favourite City book (other than your own!)
I’m Not Really Here by Paul Lake
What is your most prized City related gift?
I was fortunate enough to live in Manchester for a little while in 2009/2010. At my leaving do, Chris Nield gave me the “Local/Tourist” T-Shirt. It means the world to me and I wear it every derby day.
What’s you matchday routine back in Canada?
Matches here start anywhere between 7:30am and 3pm. The most common start time is 10am. I usually get home from the bar on Friday night, set my alarm for a painfully early hour, struggle to my feet the next morning and make it to Opera Bob’s Public house by the 4th or 5th minute of the match. Usually by the 20th minute I have a bacon and egg sandwich in one hand and a hot brew in the other—you can’t serve booze before 11am in Ontario.
When, why and how did you start writing about City?
The first thing I wrote about City was a profile on the Toronto supporter’s club and our meeting place in Toronto—Opera Bob’s. The story ran over two issues of the matchday programme in the spring of 2012. I wanted to tell the story of international supporter’s and show Mancunians how revered their club and culture is, thousands of miles to the west. After that, I simply couldn’t stop.
What City things have you done because of your writing that you wouldn’t have done otherwise?
I certainly would never have had the opportunity to carry the Premier League trophy into the Holdsworth Working Men’s Club in Reddish, for the book release, that was absolutely surreal. I’ve been unbelievably fortunate over the past two years to experience some of the best matches and meet untold number of fascinating Blues. I still need to pinch myself at times. But above all else, I would never have met the army of new friends I’ve made along the way, many of whom I know I will see regularly for the rest of my life. Lucky doesn’t even begin to explain it.
Of all the places you visited which was your favourite and why?
It’s pretty close between Chicago and Reykjavik. I have an affinity for Chicago because I feel like the story really began to hit its stride there. We beat United 4-1 and I spent the entire weekend doing things I wouldn’t normally do. It was a major turning point for me and it is a brilliant city, one of the best in the world and I think it is too often overlooked when people considering travelling. Reykjavik was almost by accident and turned out to be one of the best chapters in the book, a really natural and beautiful story developed there and for it to be completely unintended made it that much more special.
You can also follow Darryl on Twitter and listen to his music here.